


The Trubel Cub

by Frostbite43



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts, Lost Child, Love, OC, Werewolves, daughter - Freeform, father - Freeform, remus child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22602802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostbite43/pseuds/Frostbite43
Summary: Bella Artemis Rubel, better known as 'Trubel' didn't have the most usual life; Born as a werewolf, growing up in an orphanage, running from the police, witch and best friend of Harry Potter.But things get interesting when she discovers that Remus Lupin, the actual Defense professor, is the father she had always believed abandoned her.
Relationships: Harry/OC
Kudos: 3





	1. Diana

_**August 1879:** _

__

Remus Lupin frowned at his girlfriend as she wrapped up the last box with the more important objects, the original copy of the story ' _Beauty and the Beast'_ – his first present for her – being gently placed inside.

"James has a house about five hours from here. You and your cousin can move there." He finally said.

Diana Ashdown sighed, but still flashed him a small smile.

"Remus…"

"Isn't Romania _a little_ too far? And you two aren't even that close, right?"

"We talked about this." Diana said turning around to move the box hiding the pain in her eyes.

They've already fought a couple of times already, which had been terrifying for their friends since it had never happened before.

Remus took the box from her and placed it back on the floor.

"You _announced_ me you were moving to live with a cousin you barely know-"

"She's family and she's having a baby. She doesn't have a husband or even a boyfriend and we're in the middle of a war here."

Remus opened his mouth but she cut him off.

"Her mother was a squib and her father is a muggle like her, I know, but Voldemort is killing people like her almost monthly now and I don't want her to take any chances-"

"Then I'm coming with you." He suddenly declared and Diana couldn't help but gape at him.

She shook her head. "No."

"Yes." He said and took her hand.

Diana hesitated.

"No. You're not." She said softly and gripped his hand a little tighter.

Remus's other hand clenched into a fist so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Your friends need you _here_. Dumbledore needs you to go undercover in those missions that are already giving me grey hairs-"

"Coming from you that sounds a bit hypocritical…" he mumbled.

Diana pretended not to hear him.

"I'll come back." She said.

"Tomorrow?" he asked, looking at her with puppy eyes. Diana tried to hide her smile.

"Seven months. Not a day more. I promise." She said, tracing one of the scars on his cheek with her thumb.

Remus wrapped his arms around her and she kissed him.

"Seven months?" he asked again, like he was hoping for another answer.

"Seven months." Diana agreed.

She pulled him close again and Remus burrowed his face in her shoulder, breathing her in one last time.

That odd smell was still there.

It wasn't bad and it wasn't annoying or anything, but somehow her scent changed a couple of months ago and it was frustrating him to no end that he couldn't figure out why.

At first he dismissed it. At first it was barely there so he assumed Lily or Alice got a new perfume or had a little accident with a potion or a meal or something then hugged Diana and some of the smell remained on her clothes.

But then it became _stronger_ , too strong _not_ to be her. She smelled… _precious_ wasn't sure how to describe it. The scent was addictive in some way. It made Remus more aware of her and everything she did, and not knowing why was a little confusing.

Lily and Alice got almost the same smell just _dulled_ , maybe. He was too preoccupied with Diana to try and figure them out, too.

"You'll call?" Remus asked, his hands still on her hips, their noses barely an inch apart, as he stared at her and she at him.

"Every day. You'll write?"

"I'll make sure the post will hate me." He said nodding serious.

Diana laughed. Remus almost melted at the sound.

She took his face in her hands and kissed him again.

"I love you."

Three years and that phrase on her lips still managed to warm him from the core.

"I love you, too."

Another kiss.

His eyes fell on the locket around her neck. His one-year anniversary gift for her.

A

golden book with a rose like the one from ' _Beauty and the Beast_ ' on the cover and 'D.A. & R.J.L.' on the back.

He wasn't even sure he could survive without her a day, much less a month. Seven was pushing it.

Diana bit her lip like she wanted to say something and Remus wanted to kiss her again.

Something flashed in her eyes too quickly for him to catch.

She changed her mind.

"I'll write when I get there."

"… Yeah. Okay."

The last hug lasted longer, but nobody complained.

_______________

A week later James Potter and Sirius Black were still trying to cheer up their friend, the three Marauders being engaged in an intense game of Exploding Snap, the former two getting completely destroyed by the werewolf.

"THAT'S IT! I GIVE UP! YOU'RE CHEATING!" Sirius finally yelled after the 12th game.

The noise finally snapped Remus out of his thoughts. He looked down.

"I won." He realized.

Sirius looked pissed.

"YOU'D WIN WHEN YOU WERE DYING! I SWEAR TO MERLIN YOU _ARE_ CHEATING-"

"Sirius, sit down." James said, although he looked like he wanted to join him, his own pride more than a little insulted. "Moony-"

Just then an owl flew through the window, making Remus drop the cards as he scrambled forwards.

"Diana!"

His two friends exchanged a glance, the moments before, forgotten.

"If you're so smitten with this girl how come you don't just marry her?" Sirius asked and James nodded.

It took a moment for Remus to lift his eyes from the letter. "Hm?"

James started humming a wedding song. Sirius took the empty box of cards and got on one knee. James pointed at Sirius and finished the song, then two pairs of eyebrows rose in expectation.

Remus opened his mouth to comment on their attics then bit his tongue, changing his mind.

"I have the ring." He admitted.

Sirius dropped the box. James almost fell off his chair.

"Are you serious?!" asked Sirius. "Shut up." He continued when James turned to him.

Remus looked like he might take it back but then his hand went to his pocket and got out a little black box.

James looked like he might screech like a girl.

Remus opened the box so they could see the ring inside.

"Whoa." Sirius said, his expert eyes already approximating how much it was worth it.

Gold and delicate with a rose-shaped blood diamond with green crystal leafs around. Couldn't have cost less than a fortune. Especially for Remus.

"When did you get this?" James asked. The thing sparkled even more than the one he used to propose to Lily.

"A few of months…"

"Then why the hell is this the first time we hear about it?" Sirius asked not taking his eyes off the ring.

Remus didn't answer.

James and Sirius turned to look at each other.

"Do you… _not_ want to propose anymore?" Asked James, the question sounding especially stupid now after watching his friend run at an owl.

"I do!" Remus said quickly. "I just – she just…"

His friends waited. He took a deep breath.

"She's been pushing me away for some time and…"

"I have a very hard time imagining Diana cheating on you or something, mate." Sirius said.

This time Remus rolled his eyes. "Diana would never cheat." He said.

It was the one thing he was truly sure of. It was _Diana_ they were talking about after all. Long chocolate hair and warm brown eyes, Ravenclaw girl, more loyal than any Huffelpuff.

She figured out he was a werewolf almost four years ago and she asked him out on their first date three years ago.

______________

' _But…'_

' _But what?' she asked, an almost unnoticeable frown on her face._

_Remus bit inside his cheek, the ugly scars from the full moon three days ago still red._

' _I'm a monster."_

_The frown disappeared and she snorted._

'

_Quick being such a drama queen.' She said so defensively he almost took a step back. His eyes widened. 'You fold your socks, Remus. Excuse me if I'm not trembling at the sight of you._ _'_

  
__________________

"Maybe she's trying to make you ask her." James suggested. "Like, remember how Alice and Frank got engaged?"

That was something no one would ever forget. Apparently someone told Alice that Frank bought the ring and didn't know how to ask her, but he waited so long she got frustrated and just yelled at him one day to marry her.

Sirius pondered on the idea a little then shrugged. "Who knows how women think?! If you want to marry her, you ask. That's how it works."

"I will! It's just… She's in Romania and her cousin would kill me if I made some surprise visit. That bloody women hates magic almost as much as Lily's sister."

"Then ask her to come here on a weekend and do it." James said.

Remus fingered with the ring. "Romania is _very_ far, but… it's also much safer than here. You heard what those Death Eaters did to Adam. He and Diana had similar missions-"

"We wouldn't let anything happen to Diana, Moony." Sirius said and James nodded.

"I'd rather know her safe than close, okay?" Remus exclaimed, a little desperation in his eyes. "She joined the Order because we did – Lily, too, don't try to deny it!" He said pointing at James. "If something would happen to her, I wouldn't be able to live with myself…"

His friends exchanged glances, but didn't say anything. They knew how true that statement was.

__________________

**End of January 1881:**

"Does anybody know what this meeting is about?" Lily asked Alice as she shifted the almost five months Harry in her arms.

She shook her head. "Frank thinks it's about the recent attacks. They were way more opened to the public, than before."

"That I'm afraid is true." Dumbledore said entering the room.

The twinkle in his eyes was gone, the grim expression looking so unlike him it was terrifying. He took a deep breath and everyone braced themselves.

"I believe Voldemort shifted his focus into trying to imply as much fear in the people as possible. To make them believe his power and influence actually are as grand as his followers say." He stopped to let everyone process the information, making eye contact with a selected few. "For those of you who may not know, the twins, Ezra and Mary Kane chose to try and hide their family in Germany, last month."

Nobody dared to breathe. The twins had been extremely valuable in their most _secret_ missions. Almost nobody even knew they were in the Order.

"Their house burned to the ground two days ago."

Somebody walked out of the room. Lily didn't look to see who it was.

He husband reached for her hand and she held her son tighter.

"The other attack…" Dumbledore continued and Alice drew a shaky breath.

_Two attacks._

The Headmaster turned his pained eyes towards Remus. "…happened in Romania."

It took a moment for the words to settle in.

Lily gasped and Alice choked on a sob. Sirius's hand tightened so hard around his glass it broke.

" _No…"_

Remus shook his head frantically, looking for somebody to deny it. A few people cursed or said their condolences, but they were all muffed sounds to him.

He couldn't breathe. He thought somebody was shaking his shoulder but he wasn't feeling anything. Tears started flowing down his cheeks, but the only thing he could concentrate on was the sound of his heart somehow still beating, faster, harder, _louder_.

His ears were ringing. He wasn't sure what he was staring at.

She was supposed to come back.


	2. Trubel

The doctor left…

The _doctor_ left…

_Left…_

Five-year-old Bella Rubel sniffed as she tried to keep the tears in. Her little hands, pale and a little scarred, fisted at her hides as she tried to stop trembling.

"Okay, let's see what you've got, kid." Said the man laying on the hospital bed.

They looked so different.

He was tall, tanned, with coffee eyes and wild turquoise hair with black roots.

She was pale with small scars on her arms and legs, sandy hair and bright amber eyes.

"Come on Bell-Bell." Teddy urged again.

A sob escaped her mouth. Tears started pouring down her cheeks. She tried to force her legs forward. To grab onto him, to yell, to cry, to apologize, she wasn't sure.

Her legs didn't move an inch.

Teddy raised a hand towards her slowly, the movement looking pained. The guilt in his eyes made more tears flow down her cheeks.

"I need you to be stronger."

Bella took a shaking breath. Then another.

_It's not fair._

_It's not fair._

_It's not fair._

Her small feet finally started moving.

His hand grabbed hers and she collapsed on the floor near the edge of the bed. He didn't let go of her hands, his thumb circled the silver bracelet on her left wrist.

Her eyes accidentally fell on the papers on the other side of the small bed. The ones the doctor left.

She didn't have to read them to know what they stated.

_Theodor Rubel_

_32 years old_

_Placed in foster care at 11…_

_Foster father…_

_**Lung cancer** _ _…_

Teddy didn't turn around to move the papers.

He couldn't. Bella knew he would have done it otherwise. He would have done it _for her._

Instead he waited until their eyes finally met again and started talking.

"Who are you?" he said, like he was asking about the weather.

She already screamed at the doctors and the nurses and all the people from the Social Services.

She was done.

Teddy squeezed her hand a little in warning. His eyes were starting to look glazed.

"Who are _you_?" he tried again.

She took another shaking breath.

"I-I'm Bella R-Rubel…"

Teddy squeezed her hand again, this time managing to look a little annoyed.

She gulped.

"I'm Bella A-Artemis Rubel."

"What did I tell you about the names?"

Her breaths started coming easier.

' _It's normal. It's fine.'_ She thought, trying to fool herself.

He quizzed her like this all the time. About everything. So, she could be ready when…

"Accept all the names exactly as you accept every single part of yourself…"

"Because…" Teddy urged again.

"Because – Because otherwise it's like you're trying to build a house, but you refuse the tools to help you. And by the time you realize how much you needed them – "

"- somebody else comes and builds his own house in your spot instead." He finished.

He gave her another moment to compose herself.

"Who do you trust?"

"Myself." She said biting her natural blood red lips.

"Anyone else?"

"…You."

Teddy stopped for a moment to take her in. His deathly pale lips tugging into a small smirk. He nodded like ' _Fair enough.'_

"Anyone else?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"What _should_ you do?"

"When?" she asked.

"Whenever."

Bella took a moment to think of the question.

"Whatever I think is right."

"How would you know what's right?" he asked her.

"Trust my instincts and try to make the best decision I could."

"And if you make a bad decision?"

"I'll remember it, assume it, deny it – "she said and Trubel chuckled. "- and try not to do it again… Or in the nearby future." Bella finished and they both chuckled.

"What if you fall?"

"I get up."

"What if you can't get up?" he pressed.

"I'll get up."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"What do you do if someone takes you down?"

"I won't let them."

"Promise?"

"Promise." She said and Teddy nodded as he tried to hide the little trembling in his hand.

"What do you do if someone tells you to do something?"

"Refuse unless it's actually sensible?"

"That's my girl!" Trubel praised as they giggled at one another.

"…Teddy?"

"Yeah?" he asked trying to fake his usual charming smile. Trying to look like he didn't hear the tremor in her voice. Her voice that had been getting smaller and smaller since the doctors wouldn't let him leave the hospital anymore. Since the two of them couldn't pretend everything was fine anymore. That they still had time.

Vulnerable and so unlike the little ball of energy that had been trailing him everywhere for the past four years.

The smile probably looked like a grimaced especially now with his new almost grey skin tone.

"… I'm scared..."

He sighed.

"I know." Trubel said, trying to control his own tears.

He should have prepared her better. He taught her how to speak Romanian, at least enough to be able to hold a conversation with a stranger. He taught her self-defense. How to protect herself. How, when and where to strike back. He showed her what to look for in order to decide if someone was lying. How to pick-pocked, what, where, when, from whom and under what circumstances.

How to lose someone in a crowd or on the streets. How to make someone give her all the candy on Halloween just by using ' _those adorable bright eyes and charming smile'_.

How and when to lie. How to bluff. How to pick a lock. How to play cards.

All those little rules he made, that he told her every day.

' _Don't try to stick out.'_

' _Don't take anything for granted.'_

' _Always plan an escape. Look for the doors, the windows, the people. Size them up. Which way do you go? What's your best bet?'_

' _Don't believe anyone.'_

' _Don't trust anyone.'_

' _Don't underestimate anyone.'_

' _Don't listen to anyone.'_

He gulped down the nod in his throat as he wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"You'll be fine. You're ready." He lied.

His parents gave him up at a muggle orphanage when he turned 11 and was declared a squib. He spent his next seven years jumping from one foster ' _family'_ to another, each one being worse than the last.

He was 18 when he finally got out.

He was 18 ½ when he first 'adopted' his best and only friend, Jack, who was almost 17 at the time.

He was 19 when they moved to Romania. For a new start.

When Jack turned 18, Trubel adopted another kid. The stupid people from Child Services said he wasn't qualified enough to adopt more than one and he didn't have enough money to open his own orphanage, but he could at least help one kid at a time.

Always picking the ones that were least likely to be picked, much less by a ' _nice'_ family.

The older ones, the outcasts, the ones that were categorized as _'weird', 'odd',_ or _'troublemaker'._

Giving them what they needed. A roof, a bed and food.

Even when he was in his middle twenties, nobody called him _Dad_ or _Father_. He was always Teddy for everyone living under his roof and _Trubel_ for everyone else.

If one of them wanted more he made sure they could have it. If they wanted to be left alone that was fine too. He had been there. He knew how the System actually worked and he cursed it every time it rejected his application to adopt more than one kid.

But Bella had been the exception. The only one he adopted younger than 15.

He had just found out about his cancer and thought to at least adopt one more. The doctors said he had around 9 years. Maybe he could try for a younger one.

But then he saw Bella. Squib or not, he knew a magical child when he saw one.

He saw her file. No last name. Barely a few weeks old, not sure if left or orphaned. Trubel was inclined to go with the latter. Magical children were considered the greatest treasure in Teddy's _relatives_ world. _Nobody_ would abandon a little witch.

He never looked after a magical kid before. But he knew he couldn't just leave her there.

It was the only time his cancer actually did something _good._ He played a little with the disgusting pity from a couple of people and they arranged all the paperwork three times faster.

He knew the whole crap about babies being adopted faster was probably one of the biggest lie the System ever spitted out. The amount of paperwork was bigger. Most of the time the _'newly parents'_ backed out before the first month was up. Sometimes even before even seeing the child.

The first full moon after she turned two, they discovered she was a werewolf, which complicated things a little.

On one hand, she got all those werewolf powers that Teddy knew were going to help her a lot in the future.

On the other hand, he wasn't sure how bad it would screw her chances to get adopted again. He loved her with all his heart, and he couldn't imagine ever rejecting her for anything, but other people might not see it like that.

She was five and a _born-werewolf_. She was still adjusting to her enchanted senses, her strength and speed that Teddy knew were already inhuman and still improving every day.

She flinched at loud noises and bright lights, accidentally broke stuff when she was nervous and Trubel lost count of how many times she ran around too fast to stop and crashed into a wall or a tree or a fence…

The werewolves that were bitten adjusted after their first moon almost completely. A born-werewolf _cub_ needed to grow into them which was neither easy nor pleasant, no matter how much Teddy wished it could be.

"Come on Bell-Bell, let me see those pretty eyes."

Bella sniffed again at the nickname, but when they made eye contact again, her eyes were gold.

' _Accept it.'_ Teddy always encouraged her. ' _It's a part of you that people will try to use to bring you down. Own it, defend it and use it against_ them _if you ever need to.'_

He spent three weeks learning how to howl so he could teach her. He made new rules and games to help her control it.

He told her everything he knew about werewolves and how people viewed them, never excluding the bad parts, but Trubel never got to go to a magical school so it always felt like he was missing a lot of stuff on the subject.

Try and error and then try again, but it never felt like it was enough.

Teddy as supposed to have 9 years with Bella.

He was supposed to have enough time to teach her enough so she could survive till she was at least 18.

He didn't hope that she would get adopted by a nice, wealthy family, soon after his death. Stuff like that just didn't happen.

But he knew he could teach her enough to at least be able to run away if the situation called it. And _stay away_ as long as she needed.

He always tried to think of everything.

… But it never occurred to him that the doctors might be wrong.

He didn't get 9 years with Bella.

He didn't get enough time with the only person he came to actually _love_. The only person he knew would have stood by him no matter what.

____________________

Dudley Dursley pushed his six-year-old cousin off the swing, making him fall hard on his arm.

Harry groaned but got up quickly. He tried to run around him, when Dudley's friends suddenly circled him.

His heart started beating faster. If he entered the classroom with bruises again the teacher would call Uncle Vernon and who knows how many days he would be locked in the cupboard after that.

If he, by some miracle, manage to hit any of them, the teacher might accuse _him_ of assaulting _them_.

Dudley started mocking him about something. His hair, his clothes, his glasses, Harry wasn't listening. He looked around desperately, trying not to look as terrified as he felt.

Judging by the smirk on Pierce's face, he wasn't succeeding.

"Hey fat boy!" Someone suddenly yelled, making all of them jump.

Harry looked around, but he couldn't see anyone. The other boys looked as confused as he felt.

Pierce opened his mouth to say something and screeched when someone jumped between them and Harry.

He looked up, the lowest tree branch above them was at least ten feet from the ground.

"Ever heard the saying ' _A trappers trap can trap he trapper.'?_ "asked the girl. She had a weird accent. Not too noticeable, but definitely there.

Dudley's mouth opened, then stayed opened, his only brain cell having trouble processing what the hell the intruder just said.

Harry on the other hand was too busy staring at his rescuer to notice.

He could only see her back. Her hair was a sandy color, almost waist length, not as wild and untamable as his, but close enough.

Her pants were ripped, her combat boots were splatted with mud and her shirt looked old and a little too big for her, but the leather jacket she wore was new.

She was maybe and inch shorter than him, which he found odd. Harry had always been the shortest kid.

Dudley finally gave up thinking.

"Get out of my way!"

The girl did no such thing.

"Or _what?"_ she said dangerously, and Harry didn't need to see her face to know she was glaring at the other boys.

Every kid besides Dudley took a step back. One of them tripped and fell on his butt. No one helped him up.

Dudley's face turned purple, resembling his father.

"I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO DON'T DO AS I SAY!" he yelled like it was a reasonable thing.

The boys near him didn't move an inch. They all looked too scared to contradict his cousin, but for the first time in his life, Harry didn't think they were afraid of _Dudley_.

If he blinked, he would have missed it.

One second the girl was glaring and the next, she was holding Dudley by the collar of his new shirt. Dudley was almost a head taller, but the girl was towering over him.

His cousin turned pale.

" _You won't like it if you mess with me_."

She didn't yell and she didn't bother to whisper, but even Harry took a step back at the threat.

She threw him towards his friends. She looked as skinny as Harry, but he could swear Dudley _flew_ a couple of feet before falling over his friends and knocking them too on the ground.

His cousin didn't look like he wanted to make any more threats.

"Scram." The girl ordered this time a little louder.

Nobody even _breathed_.

" _NOW_!" She growled and Dudley and his friends trotted over each other trying to run. Harry was fairly sure at least two of them were crying.

The girl suddenly turned towards Harry. He was so startled he didn't even flinch.

' _Whoa'_ was the first thing that came into his mind.

He wasn't sure what he expected, but he always imagined the only people that could be able to intimidate his cousin would be at least six feet tall and would have a beard.

The girl was too… _pretty_.

She had big eyes, pale skin and sharp features. Her lips were so red he wondered if she was wearing lipstick. She looked exhausted, but somehow, he didn't think it was from throwing his whale cousin on the ground.

There were dark bags under her eyes. Her amber eyes were as bright as his.

She started measuring him up. Harry's face turned red as he thought about Dudley's old shirt that was almost drowning him.

"T-thank you." He said, hoping she wouldn't threaten him, too.

Her eyes widened, almost unnoticeable, but then she nodded and started walking away.

"Wait!"

Harry wasn't sure what possessed him to run after her. Normally he would have just been thankful for the miracle and walk away, too.

But this wasn't just _some_ miracle.

For the first time ever, someone bullied _Dudley._

For the first time ever, someone stood up for _Harry_.

"My name's Harry – Harry Potter."

The girl narrowed her eyes, but didn't fully glare at him, which he counted as a win.

"What's yours?"

The girl didn't answer for a moment. Still taking him in.

Finally, it looked like she found what she was looking for and nodded her head at him.

"You can call me Trubel." She said, and Harry could swear her eyes flashed yellow, just for a moment.


	3. Hogwarts

' _I went through my darkest time alone, so sorry if I act like I don't need anyone.'_

___________________

"… and therefor I am happy to welcome you to Hogwarts." Finished the man who presented himself as _Dumbledore._

Trubel blinked.

Nope. Still there.

"Uh… I-I'm a werewolf, sir." The nine-year-old finally said, the shock making her stutter.

She knew she was a witch, too, but Teddy always told her the magic community only saw her as a half-breed and nothing more. She was prepared not to go to a magical school. Like Teddy.

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled, which didn't exactly make Trubel trust him.

"That will not be a problem, miss Rubel. Hogwarts had in fact more that a couple of werewolves attend over the decades. The last one graduated 13 years ago, if I'm not mistaken. I've been trying to get him to come and teach, but I haven't been successful so far…"

"I've never heard of werewolves being accepted to school before." Trubel said, frowning.

' _A tame werewolf.'_ Her mind kept repeating like a broken record.

She had met a few werewolves before, but they were either wild or like her.

Orphaned. Not wild, but not exactly tame either.

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Oh, we kept that particular information from the students. Only myself and a selected few from the school staff are aware of these situations. I assure you, we know exactly what we're doing. Shall I assume you're interested in the invitation?" he asked, eyes still bright.

Bella measured him up one last time.

' _If you see an opportunity, always take it.'_ Teddy used to tell her.

"I accept."

Dumbledore grinned.

"Splendid! Everything you need is writ-"

"May I ask you a question, sir?" Trubel asked, startling Dumbledore. He didn't look like he got interrupted often. "If I tell you a name could you tell me if he's going to Hogwarts this year, too?"

The old wizard blinked at the odd question.

"I will try to give you an answer, but I must warn you, there are a lot of students coming every year, not even I know everyone on the list."

"I'm certain he's a wizard, sir." Trubel said, reading between lines.

She's a bloody werewolf and she's not afraid to use her powers. And even if she wasn't able to smell the magic on him, not every odd thing that happened around the two of them had been her fault.

"Let's hear the name then." The man before her said, sounding amused.

"Harry Potter."

Dumbledore's eyes widened.

__________________

" _Rubel, Bella."_ McGonagall read.

The little sandy-haired girl walked forward, looking a lot less nervous than the rest of her year-mates, despite the fact that she was the smallest in her year.

The hat touched her head.

" _Oh! Another werewolf!"_

Trubel's eyes widened.

' _Place me with Harry. In Gryffindor.'_ She thought.

" _Give me a moment kid, I haven't been in a werewolf's mind in decades! Let's see… Brave… smart… Oh, that's cunning! … loyal… What's that?..."_

' _Get out of my head!'_

The last thing she wanted was to start remembering something she buried for a reason.

Harry locked eyes with her from the Gryffindor table. He looked more nervous than her.

' _Gryffindor.'_ She thought again.

The hat huffed.

" _Thank Merlin you've got an attitude, otherwise it would have been hard to place you."_

Trubel frowned preparing a retort.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat suddenly yelled.

McGonagall took the hat back and Trubel walked over to the cheering table and high-fived Harry.

__________________

 _ **September 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **1990:**_ _(Train Station, Platform 9 ¾, start of the second year)_

Trubel blew a streak of hair that kept falling in her face for half an hour already. The Matron from the orphanage had a field day throwing her out the door that morning, laughing as she watched the 10-year-old _walk_ 4 hours to the train station, while carrying a trunk that was almost bigger than her.

Bella would have cursed her, at least for the sake of it, if she wasn't so tired. Stupid full moon happened to be just _last night_.

On one hand, she wouldn't have to think of an excuse for her absence to Hermione so soon.

On the other hand, she was _tired_.

S

he wore the same clothes she had on just before the moon appeared, since being a born-werewolf meant that her clothes just appeared and disappeared during the transformation. (Which was probably _the only_ advantage a born-werewolf had.)

She had been too tired to change. And too tired to eat.

Not that it mattered. The bloody Matron kicked her out before the feeling of starvation managed to kick in. Her only hope was that Harry's relatives probably did that too, so her friend was probably going to buy all the sweets from the cart lady again.

Or maybe Ron would give her the lunch his mom packed. Anything would do at this point.

She tugged at her trunk again, but her arms were aching too hard for her to pull it up in the wagon. A feeling of helplessness hit her and she had to fight to keep the tears in.

Why was it so _hard?!_

On a good day, she could probably move the _train._

But not today.

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me, Forge, or is that really who I think it is?" a voice suddenly said from behind her.

"They are not, Gred, that actually is our little Mischief Queen!" an identical voice joined and Trubel almost cried with relief.

"Guys…"

"Trouble with the trunk your majesty?" Fred asked already making a grab at it, his brother not far behind.

"What happened with ' _Weasleys'?"_ George asked.

Trubel sighed, too tired to replay. The twins exchanged a look that would have seem neutral to a stranger. Trubel only saw worry.

"It was a long day." She answered, not exactly lying. She grabbed her trunk. "Do you know where Harry is?"

He wrote to her saying something about an aunt that blew up and mentioning his stay with the Weasleys for the last part of the summer. She had been in jail that particular time Hedwig brought the letter and that stupid cop ripped it from her hands before she could make sense of what Harry had been trying to say.

"Yeah, they passed us as I was telling Fred and Lee about my new idea for a prank-" One of the twins started saying when Trubel pushed past them.

"You're Fred and he's George."

"No, I'm Fred-"

"Not gonna work George." Trubel said without stopping.

"How does she do that?" both of them asked making her smirk.

Suddenly she froze, her instincts going crazy all at once.

She smelled the air. Something was up.

It wasn't… _bad_ per say. More like – addictive maybe? She wasn't sure. She suddenly wanted to walk forward, which sent red flags flaring in her mind, but she was too tired to listen to them.

She started walking faster than before. Not stopping to look for her friends.

Last wagon.

She let go of the trunk and took a deep breath.

Here. Clearly here.

There was something familiar in the air, but she couldn't place it.

She opened the door. The first thing she saw was a man sleeping near the window. Pale with scars on his face and hands and baggy old clothes.

Finally, it clicked.

_Werewolf._

She wanted to kick herself. Dumbledore told her at the end of the school year that he was trying to get a werewolf he knew to teach Defense this year.

' _And I'm sure it would be a nice opportunity for the two of you to talk.'_ He had said.

She hadn't heard a thing about it for the rest of the summer and it slipped out of her mind.

That was why the scent was familiar. It was another werewolf.

_A tame werewolf…_

A weird feeling hit her in the stomach. She wasn't sure if it was dread or excitement.

And there was something else, too. Comfort? The other werewolf's presence was calming, Bella realized, puzzled.

_But why?_

You couldn't trust a werewolf. And you couldn't trust an adult.

Bella learned this the hard way a long time ago, so _why_ did she want to approach him?

"Trubel?" a voice suddenly interrupted her line of thought.

She jerked her head towards the voice, finally realizing there were other people in the compartment.

"Hey." She finally said, trying her best to look at her friends and not the werewolf so close to her. "When did you arrive? It took forever to find you." She lied.

"Not that long ago." Harry answered. "I need to tell you something." He said eyeing each one of them.

She tried to pay attention. She really did.

She caught the basics, but her focus kept going back and forth between her aching limbs and worry for the still bleeding wounds, and the werewolf less that three feet in front of her.

A little jealousy came in, too.

Sleeping. The other werewolf didn't have to pretend to listen to Hermione as she gave the ' _You shouldn't blow up your aunt'_ speech.

Harry finally caught her gaze at some point.

"That's professor Lupin." He said. "We think he's going to teach D.A.D.A. this year."

She nodded, like she hadn't thought of that.

' _Never give up everything you know.'_ Teddy taught her.

Even if they were her friends…

"You look dead on your feet, mate." Ron suddenly said, making Harry and Hermione perk up.

Trubel wanted to punch him so bad in that moment.

It wasn't like she was worried Harry-The-Oblivious-Potter was going to figure out her secret. They had been friends for _years_ and he wasn't even close to figuring it out.

But Hermione was another story entirely. Sometimes she was _too_ smart.

Bella had been lucky last year. The bushy-haired girl had been learning about magic for the first time in her life. She simply had too much to look at to notice her rebellious dormmate sneaking out once a month. It had also been the first time the other girl had friends, she wasn't going to ruin their new friendship by acting suspicious of Bella, thus making Harry mad at her. Ron would have probably stuck with Harry, too.

No. Hermione wouldn't have risked it last year.

This year however…

"I had to drag a trunk full of _everything_ after me, on foot, for _four_ hours. Excuse me for not being in the mood to fix my hair." She said, trying to sound exasperated (which wasn't hard) and a little mean, so they would stop questioning her.

Before anyone could respond, the train stopped.

Trubel was suddenly _very_ awake.

"Something's wrong."


	4. Thestrals

_Before anyone could respond, the train stopped._

_Trubel was suddenly_ very _awake._

" _Something's wrong."_

Her instincts flared up seconds before the lights switched off. She was too tired to flinch. Fortunately, she was the only one there with enchanted eyesight (that was awake) so her friends didn't notice.

Trubel concentrated trying to hear outside the wagon without accidentally making her eyes turn gold. It was a problem she kept having for years now - using her enchanted senses sometimes automatically switched her eyes to the werewolf ones. It took her weeks to figure out how to hold them normal but using two or more werewolf senses at the same time (in this case the eyesight and the hearing) was a little more complicated.

She could hear students panicking in the dark, her own friends talking one over the other in fright.

Trubel took a deep breath in. She could smell the magic in the air, but it had been months since the last time she'd been around so much of it. She couldn't distinguish what was wrong, or where it was coming from.

"Quiet!" a hoarse voice snapped through the compartment, silencing her friends.

Oddly enough instead of flinching at the sudden noise like her friends, Trubel felt _relieved._ Although she couldn't fathom why.

Her hands moved instinctively. The right one to her tight, where her wand was strapped in, and the other to the patch on her arm, where Teddy's pocketknife was.

She didn't like the odd calmness that the older werewolf hit her with. Not that the feeling wasn't pleasant, but it just wasn't normal. The male was an _alpha_. He was a danger until proven otherwise.

Professor R. J. Lupin hold up his hand and muttered something under his breath but Trubel was too wrapped up in her thoughts to catch.

A small flame sparked to life in his hand and she barely held herself back from openly gaping in wonder.

Wandless magic. A werewolf was able to do wandless magic. Her mind started bursting with ideas and possibility. Cataloging the spells that would be most useful. Trubel had to bite her tongue to keep the questions in.

The Professor scanned the cabin, his eyes resting on Harry then on Trubel for an extra moment, his face betraying nothing, but the girl knew it was probably due to Potter's fame and her werewolf scent.

"Stay where you are." Was all he said as he stood up and moved towards the door.

He barely made two steps before Trubel's instincts started screaming again and the door slid open.

The figure that appeared was a thing from nightmares. The red flames were illuminating the slimy and wrinkled hand that slid inside. The cloaked figure kept floating on the hallway.

Trubel's hand curled around her wand and her lips tightened preparing to yell a spell - any spell, before an overwhelming coldness hit her head on, expanding from her toes to the tips of her hair, sending her shivering violently.

Her hand fell from her wand.

Cold.

It was so _cold._

And then pain - the pain of the werewolf change.

A gasp escaped her lips - her usual blood red lips were now dangerously pale.

" _You'll be fine. You're prepared." Teddy lied to her. She wasn't. She wasn't ready. He couldn't just_ leave _her, too. She didn't want to be alone._

Tears started forming in her eyes.

" _Her again?!" the woman from Child Services sneered at the papers she was once again required to look over. "She already got brought back once this week!" It was the last time Bella trusted a foster family. It was the last time she presented herself as 'Bella'._

No...

" _How dare you steal from my son, you little thief!" a man in an expensive suit yelled at her in the principal's office, grabbing her by the arm and shaking her hard enough to bring tears. But she didn't cry. She wasn't guilty. The boy stole it from_ her _, but she didn't matter. It was the moment Bella decided she might as well start stealing what she needed since people already cataloged 'orphan' as being synonym with 'thief'. Teddy already thought her how to steal. Might as well start using it._

Stop-

" _Get out of the way, you little brat!"_

She couldn't breathe.

" _You gonna go cry to mummy and daddy?"_

Stop, stop,stop, stop, _stop_ , STOP!

" _Little freak's always been trouble."_

Tears were pouring from her eyes now. She couldn't see anything past the visions.

" _You will never belong here!"_

She hadn't been crying like this since - since -

_Teddy's eyes were lifeless - gazing on her when she woke up. His lips were too pale._

A sob escaped her lips as she fell on the floor.

As sudden as it came, it stopped. And Bella blinked as she took in the surroundings.

The lights were back on. There was nothing at the door, no trance that a black monster had been there.

She placed a poker face on, trying to hide her panic and terror, but she was too stiff to clean the tear tracks off her face. Her heart was beating too loud, too fast.

The scars on her face (the big one on her right cheek and the two small ones on the left side of her chin) were burning were the tears touched them.

"Harry! Harry are you alright?!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed making Trubel's gaze automatically move forward were her friend appeared to be waking up.

She shook her head, finally able to move and clean the tears off her face.

"Trubel! Are you okay?" Hermione shrieked making Bella flinch.

Too loud. Everything was too loud.

She flinched again when the professor started snapping a bar of chocolate.

Trubel suddenly remembered how hungry she was.

"Here." Lupin said handing Harry a large piece. "Eat it. It will help."

Harry didn't eat. He seemed to be in shock. Trubel couldn't blame him. She didn't even notice him get back on his seat.

Lupin handed her a piece, too. She barely sniffed it to make sure it was safe before eating.

The professor grabbed her elbow and Ron grabbed the other as they helped her back to her seat. Her legs felt like jelly, which would have been embarrassing if she wasn't so tired.

"What was that thing?" Harry asked.

"A Dementor." The professor stated.

The rest was a blur for the young werewolf.

Lupin left to speak to the driver and Hermione and Weasley started a heating discussion about Dementors, prisons and Sirius Black.

By the time the train reached its destination, Trubel's head was pounding with information she'd be happier if she never heard.

She tried to hide the trembling of her legs as she stepped out of the train and looked around.

Professor Lupin was coming towards them in the same direction as the sea of students, having just spoken with Hagrid.

Harry still looked grim as he looked around, like he expected another dementor to jump from behind a student.

Trubel looked for something to distract him when she noticed the strange horses that were pulling the carriages the students were climbing into.

None of her friends seemed to notice them.

"So, is really no one gonna talk about the weird horses?" Trubel asked, making Professor Lupin stop.

Ron started looking around confused and Harry followed suit.

"What horses?"

Trubel stared at him. Not even Weasley's _that_ blind.

"The ones that are hooked to the carriages." She answered tiredly.

Too much had happened today. She was so tired she didn't see the look on Professor Lupin's face, or the way his shoulders slumped.

Hermione looked at her concerned, which frustrated her even more.

"Trubel, there's nothing hooked to the carriages. Are you _sure_ you're alright?" she asked and Trubel actually gaped at her.

Granger was horrible at jokes, but this was just _ridiculous_.

"If I could have a moment with miss Rubel?" Professor Lupin suddenly asked making Hermione look relieved, while making Trubel tense.

She never told him her name.

She knew Dumbledore probably told him, but that didn't really ease her conscience.

Lupin waited until Hermione was out of earshot before he opened his mouth and Trubel was ready to scream if he'll tell her there was nothing pulling the carriages when there clearly _was_.

But that didn't happen.

"The horses are named thestrals. They are magical creatures that not everybody can see." He explained making her blink.

"Why can I see them but my friends can't?" she asked as she started noticing more and more students completely ignoring the creatures. Her eyes narrowed - she couldn't see a single student look at them.

Could she see them because she was a werewolf? After all, Lupin could see them too.

She turned to look at the professor when he didn't answer. He wasn't looking at her either.

She gave him an unimpressed look, not caring how rude that must be of her since he was her _professor._

"You already told me how they're called, not getting an answer now would just mean a couple of hours spent in the library instead of doing Defense homework."

Fortunately, he didn't give her detention like Snape would have done. He even looked a little amused.

Professor Lupin sighed and his eyes looked sad all of sudden.

"The only people that can see them are the ones that have seen someone _die_."

A chill went down her spine as Teddy's lifeless eyes flashed in her mind. The only thing that saved her from outright shuddering was the years of self-control she had.


End file.
